DRINKING AND DRIVING OF PUB PATRONS IN ISRAEL

A chance sample of people exiting pubs in Israel were interviewed and their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was measured with a portable breathalizer. Approximately 50% of the people intended to drive away themselves, while 50% were driven by others. People's decision whether or not to drive was unrelated to their BAC and to the number of drinks they reportedly had, and only marginally related to whether or not they felt drunk. Thirty percent of those who felt drunk still intended to drive. Although three-quarters of the respondents felt there is a driving and drinking problem in Israel, their knowledge about the effects of alcohol and the number of drinks they need to consume in order to get drunk reflected an alarming ignorance. The results demonstrate a dangerous trend in alcohol consumption that is not coupled with adequate specific knowledge about alcohol's effects.